


running from the suburbs, skipping heartbeats

by bubblehyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Cute, Donghyuck is in a band, M/M, he’s so cool, hyuckil, soft, taeil thinks so anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22427983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblehyuck/pseuds/bubblehyuck
Summary: Turning back toward the audience, he continues, “I’m so glad you all could make it out tonight,” he raises his eyebrows attractively, scanning the audience and nodding at a few familiar faces.What Taeil doesn’t expect is for the singer’s eyes to catch with his own, as he boldly preaches,“In case you hadn’t heard, I’m Donghyuck Lee. And this is my band,” the intro to the next track starts playing,“The Indigos.”
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Moon Taeil
Comments: 23
Kudos: 132





	running from the suburbs, skipping heartbeats

**Author's Note:**

> hey again!
> 
> when hyuckil are so in l*ve it's hard NOT to write about them being cute.
> 
> so i smashed together two things i know about (the local alt rock scene + hyuckil) and made this cute little story
> 
> i hope you like it :)
> 
> oh, and i imagined hyuck to be 19 and taeil to be 21.

Securing a leather studded bracelet on one’s own wrist is surprisingly difficult, Taeil finds.

He’s twisted his arm at an odd angle, reaching over his opposite shoulder in a struggle he hopes no one would ever have to see, when a voice abruptly brings his attention to his bedroom doorway.

“What the hell are you wearing, man?”

Taeil freezes, caught in the act. 

Taeyong gives him a once-over, and not in a good way, his face souring and quickly rushing over to intercept Taeil’s attempts at another poor fashion decision.

“An outfit for, uh...” Taeil pauses to consider, tugging at the leather jacket he owns for some reason, now realizing that he has not attended a concert in about five years. “Dressing for a concert?”  
  
“Yeah, okay buddy, this isn’t the vans warped tour, this is a _casual local show_ ,” Taeyong makes quick work of removing Taeil’s e-boy escapade, ripping off a fake earring, causing Taeil to let out a pained and confused, “ _ow????_ ”

“It’s like you did an emo edits in real life challenge, Jesus Christ,” Taeyong shoves the violent jewelry onto Taeil’s desk and begins fixing his best friend’s hair. 

Taeil dodges split-slicken hands headed for his fringe, “well, I haven’t been to a concert since I was like, fifteen, how was I supposed to know?”

Taeyong, apparent concert aficionado, rolls his eyes and throws a casual sweatshirt Taeil’s way. 

“Hurry your ass up, doors are in an hour.”

❀

Taeil doesn’t know why he’s sipping a beer at a bar in the back of a concert venue instead of on his couch at home. 

What he does know is that the opening band on stage right now is _absolutely awful._ He thinks the melodramatic singer introduced their group of stoner teenage musicians but can’t remember the name. _Suburban Heights? Urban Around?_

Taeyong nods his head to the barely-kept beat as he stands next to Taeil, looking far more happy with how the night is going.

“TY, when does your band come on stage?” Because apparently there are _underground_ _underground_ artists that open for the _underground_ artists. 

Taeyong glances at his watch, “they’ll probably take fifteen minutes to set up after this group’s set ends so…twenty minutes or so?”

Taeil stops himself from groaning. 

It’s not that he doesn’t like music. Hell, he loves it. He considered minoring in music production, but it caused too many conflicts with his biochem degree path.

Taeil is simply an introvert. One that doesn’t typically willingly enter crowds, or jump and yell and sing with said crowds. 

But tonight he made an exception, like the best best friend he is. And the least he can do is try to have some fun.

By the time he’s done wallowing, Taeil feels a tug on his arm. Leaving his not-entirely-finished beer behind (wasteful!) he lets Taeyong pull him into the crowd, politely pushing past some local high schoolers toward the front. 

If there’s one thing Taeil can commend his best friend for, it’s his knack of finessing a near-barricade spot without waiting in line for hours. Truly a man of skill.

Tech starts testing the lights and a sound guy comes on stage to bang on a snare a couple of times, both which warrant screams from pockets of fifteen year old girls in the crowd. 

“What kind of band is this?” Taeil leans over to Taeyong, to be heard over the preshow music and surrounding chatter. 

The crowd ranges from younger teenagers to twenty-somethings, and Taeil is pretty sure he saw a guy from his freshman year biology lecture in the back of the pit. 

“It’s like,” Taeyong’s face scrunches in that weird but somehow still conventionally attractive way, “alternative? I guess? Like My Chemical Romance meets The 1975.”

Taeil thinks that sounds impossible.

But, before he can comment on the logistics of interaction between Gerard Way and Matty Healy, the house lights go off and purple stage lights flood his vision. 

The feelings of anticipation and adrenaline aren’t ones Taeil remembers from his past concerts, but boy is he experiencing them now. 

The aura of the stage is mysterious and enticing, smoke beginning to cover the floor and curl up around the mic stands and instruments in the back, where a few band members begin to come out on stage. 

But, as the music builds and the band starts to play, Taeil can’t help but notice there’s no lead singer. _Isn’t there someone supposed to be in the middle? There’s an empty mic. Did Taeyong bring me to a wordless concert?_

He feels a tug on his arm as Taeyong weasels them a couple of rows further, keeping his eyes trained on the stage in front of him. 

It’s like a vision of an angel or something. Or maybe an angel is incomparable. 

An inevitable revelation occurs, one that brings Taeil to a conclusion of a studded leather jacket, scuffed doc martens, and heavily lined eyes painting a portrait fit for the heavens. 

As he had been stumbling around shoulders, a presence had emerged from the veil of smoke, coming forward toward the crowd. The shock and awe Taeil feels is stunning as the figure takes shape, materializing from the billowing screen and making quite the entrance.

Hand clad in a black leather glove, curling around the mic, Taeil is now able to discern the lead singer’s features, and he suddenly sympathizes with the girls who have been screeching over this arrival. 

A sight that could make Taeil faint, the band’s lead is tanned to a beautiful degree, with perhaps some freckles dotting his skin. His bright eyes wave a sultry gaze over the audience, intermittently fluttering shut on particularly passionate notes. 

The singer’s collarbones peek out from underneath his loose black shirt, highlighted in iridescent glitter that ascends in all the right places up to his cheekbones. 

His long legs move around the stage with expert presence, allowing him to glide from right to left as if he was hovering on the smoke around him. 

Peeks of tanned skin showing through tight ripped jeans tease Taeil’s eyes, and black nail polish brings him to admire each flex of the singer’s hand around the microphone.

The appeal only intensifies when he opens his mouth and sings. 

Taeil swears he’s never heard a voice so smooth. The singer is intimidating by visual presence, but soft and silky as his vocals transition from melody to melody. 

The band’s set ranges even within the first handful of songs, from upbeat, positive tracks to slower jams that beautifully showcase the vocalist’s range. 

It’s after the third song, an upbeat one that has the crowd jumping and singing along, that the lead finally speaks to his audience. 

“Thank you guys, that’s always a fun one,” slightly out of breath, and a voice higher than Taeil expected, but still languid and intriguing. 

The singer slaps the guitarist on the ass as he takes a few paces back toward the drum set to grab a bottle of water. 

Turning back toward the audience, he continues, “I’m so glad you all could make it out tonight,” he raises his eyebrows attractively, scanning the audience and nodding at a few familiar faces. 

What Taeil doesn’t expect is for the singer’s eyes to catch with his own, as he boldly preaches,

“In case you hadn’t heard, I’m Donghyuck Lee. And this is my band,” the intro to the next track starts playing,

“ _The Indigos.”_

❀

The amount of times Taeil has started blushing while daydreaming during lecture has exponentially increased the past six days.

It’s honestly embarrassing at this point.

So maybe he couldn’t stop thinking about the lead singer of The Indigos. This was fine, totally normal. Definitely not consuming his every waking thought and not at all influencing his new subscription to the local venue’s weekly newsletter.

Nearly a week had passed since the night of the concert, but Taeil’s brain can’t help focus on Donghyuck. The memory of his voice, the uplifting and intense energy he brought to the stage, the way has hair bounced as he jumped up and down with the crowd. 

_The way he looked at you_ , Taeil’s mind helpfully supplies. 

_Ew, no, gross_ , he internally combats.

Whether to thank Taeyong for dragging him to see an angel or eternally curse him for this battle of consciences, Taeil isn’t sure. 

It’s only a matter of time before his unreasonable crush evolves into pitiful wallowing over his recent love life, or lack thereof, so Taeil is hardly paying attention when he walks into a cafe to get his usual post-class, pre-library latte. 

That is, until he bumps into one of the baristas carrying a tray of mugs back to the kitchen to be washed. 

The ceramics wobble for a split second, before Taeil steadies the waiter with a hand on their back. Once they get the tray level, they turn around with an apology.

Taeil beats them to it, “I’m so sorry,” but his next words die in his mouth when he notices just who he’s stumbled into.

 _Donghyuck fucking Lee_.

Taeil is caught frozen once again, finally shaking his head to rid himself of his momentary stupor, then clearing his throat,

“That was my bad, here let m—”

“—hey, aren’t you the cute guy I was making sexy eyes at last week?”

Donghyuck peers at Taeil quizzically, squinting as he recalls his memories.

“...Yeah? Uh,” Taeil isn’t entirely sure he knows what ‘sexy eyes’ are, “I think? Maybe? Yes?” He’s certain his eyebrows have been doing acrobatics above his eyes at the mix of surprise, confusion, and adoration he feels at once.

Donghyuck is somehow content with this answer, humming and pushing Taeil to continue,

“How come I’ve never seen you here before?” Taeil comes to this shop at the same time on Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s—he thinks he’d recall his waiter looking like... _that_.

Donghyuck smiles a little bit, “oh, I picked up an extra shift just for today, I usually work mornings.” 

As if stricken with a sudden thought, Donghyuck then manages to balance his tray of mugs in one hand and grabs Taeil by the wrist, leading him over to an empty booth.

What more could Taeil do than comply?  
  
Once Taeil’s seated, Donghyuck takes a glance at his watch, then gazing up at the ceiling for a couple of seconds, lips moving silently as he does some mental math.

He looks back down with a glint of excitement in his eyes, “I can totally take my fifteen right now, my shift is basically over anyway,” Donghyuck grins, “give me three minutes I’ll be right out.”  
  
Before Taeil can say no, Donghyuck is rushing back into the kitchen, and emerging three minutes and twenty-six seconds later, rid of his black apron and armed with two iced coffees in hand.

“So,” he slides into the booth, “tell me your name, mystery audience boy.”  
  


❀

Taeil thinks Donghyuck is everything a rockstar should be and nothing they shouldn’t.

Despite what their first _real introduction_ might’ve started out as, Taeil comes to learn that Donghyuck is not always the attention-grabbing, flashy presence he is when he’s on stage. 

Donghyuck is a totally ordinary college kid like himself, although Taeil wouldn’t call the younger’s witty sense of humor and clear affection for the older anything close to ordinary.

Confidence is something Taeil experiences in bursts. Periodically socially competent, and never consistently extroverted. But Donghyuck is always more than willing to fill the gaps of conversation, prepared with plenty of stories as a waiter and musician. What natural comfortability on stage that Taeil admired from afar is nothing compared to the personal comfortability Donghyuck brings to a conversation.

At least, this is what Taeil tells Taeyong he has discovered from a handful of dates, as he hangs upside down from the arm of their couch.

_Were they dates? Or just hanging out? We haven’t kissed… but he held my hand when we got churros…_

“Gross, dude, I know I basically introduced you two, but I don’t need any more _romantic gushing_ than I already get from Doyoung on the daily,” 

“You didn’t introduce us,” Taeil rolls off the couch and plops onto the floor,

“ _Fate did_ ,” Taeyong mimics in a high-pitched voice, “yeah, I know, you’ve told me _five times_.” He continues to uninterestedly heap nutella onto his toast.

Taeil can’t even roll his eyes, as he’s squealing in excitement when he receives a text notification from **♡donghyuck♡**.

Yes, the younger saved his own contact name. 

No, Taeil will never change it.

“Whipped,” offers Taeyong, mouth full of bread and chocolate. 

❀

A month later finds Moon Taeil studying diligently in his room, the late autumn breeze giving a chilled setting, even once inside and sheltered from the cold.

He’s had a lazy day, only actually getting dressed in a comfortable sweater and jeans to go get the mail earlier. Now, he sits at his desk, rummaging through notes about peptide groups and convincing himself that _he doesn’t need another cup of coffee_.

What’s suddenly surprising on this simple day, though, is the movement outside his window that he catches out of the corner of his eye.

The small field of grass that his apartment window overlooks is a popular spot for people to hang out in, just outside of campus and a nice atmosphere of trees and a couple benches. But, since it’s gotten to be cool lately, even in the afternoon, there hasn’t been much foot traffic.

Taeil reaches up to open his curtain further, to take a peek at what the sudden commotion could be, just in time to hear the distinct crackle and hum of an electric guitar being plugged into an amp.

He blinks once. Twice, just to be sure, because the last thing he expected to see outside his apartment window was a _band_. And not just any band, no. The Indigos.

There stood Donghyuck Lee, smiling up at him, moving to approach the microphone. Even from a couple stories up, the surrounding amps cause Taeil to clearly make out Donghyuck’s voice counting out to his bandmates, “ _1, 2, 1 2 3 4 !”_

Taeil is astonished by the song that follows. The melody, so clearly written for _him_ , is sweet and playful, so addicting and _so Donghyuck._

He opens the window easily, letting the music enter his home, and smiling down at Donghyuck who freely dances and sings. Taeil can’t help but smile back, and giggle at the words Donghyuck wrote him.

_As I hold your face, I can't find the words I need_

_And soon the opportunity is drownin'_

_It's sunken and drownin'_

Finally, a last note sounds, emitting reverb and highlighting Donghyuck’s sole voice in the microphone as the younger locks eyes with the man leaning halfway out an apartment window,

“Taeil Moon, _will you be my boyfriend?_ ”

Taeil slips away from the window as quick as he can, not even bothering to put on shoes, before emerging from the stairwell and onto the grass below. 

Donghyuck’s there to meet him, pulling him into a close hug, where Taeil is able to laugh and say softly into his ear,

“ _Of course._ ”

❀

Donghyuck likes to do this thing where he appears in Taeil’s apartment at random times after his shifts while Taeil is still in class.

Today, the younger has been alone for far longer, Taeil needing to stay at the library to work with some groupmates on a project until late.

So, being the great boyfriend he is, Donghyuck cooks him dinner.

Taeil has a great vinyl collection, a love of music being something Donghyuck adores sharing with his boyfriend, so Donghyuck selects the perfect middle ground of their music tastes and gets to work, setting out ingredients and cookware.

By the time he’s stirring the pasta and humming along to _COIN_ under his breath, the sound of the front door cracking open causes him to glance up and turn to smile at his boyfriend who’s just gotten home.

As Donghyuck turns back around to attend to their meal, Taeil greets him, “didn’t expect you to be here so late, Hyuckie,” Taeil’s arms wrap around his waist from behind, and he gives a kiss to Donghyuck’s cheek.

“Knew you’d be hungry after a long day,” Donghyuck comments, blushing a bit at the affection. He turns in Taeil’s arms to acknowledge his boyfriend properly, slowly kissing him and feeling Taeil melt against him in exhaustion.

They kiss a bit more, before Taeil pulls away with a slightly mischievous smile, sotfly singing along with the record Donghyuck has playing,

“ _I'_ _m not asking you to settle down, but I would,_ ”

Donghyuck smiles back, dancing a little in Taeil's arms and joining him for the last line as they sing at each other happily,

_“You know I would.”_

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!
> 
> as always, kudos and comments are much appreciated
> 
> i have so much love for hyuckil and i just want to share it with the world ;-;
> 
> so, the song donghyuck writes for taeil is violet by bad suns!  
> and the record they're playing at the end there is coin's self titled album. how they got an lp i do not know. spare vinyl, taeil?
> 
> my twitter is @beautifulisun come chat about nct if you'd like (babie emoji)
> 
> thank you so much for reading !!!!!!!!!!!


End file.
